Each week, we’ll ask our stable of scribes to weigh in on the three most important NBA topics of the day — and then give you a chance to step on the scale, too, in the comments below.

For pure intrigue, which potential first-round matchup gets you worked up the most?

David Aldridge: I LOOOOVE Denverand OKC. We may have a final average score of 130-127. It’s hard to see either team being able to slow down the other unless they junk it up defensively, and that might only yield temporary results. I really want to see the Felton-Lawson/Westbrook matchup at the point and Nene vs. Kendrick Perkins in the hole. I imagine we’d also see a lot of Arron Afflalo and/or Wilson Chandler against Kevin Durant, and I’d love to talk with each of the Nuggets about how he’ll prepare for the matchup. Denver’s Pepsi Center and OKC’s Ford Center are great fan venues as well. Should be a fun, fun series.

Steve Aschburner: I’m curious to see what Doug Collins has up his sleeve against the Miami Heat. Normally, I’d expect Philadelphia to struggle because coping with both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade night after night has to be even more daunting than the mere idea of coping with James and Wade night after night. With so many young players, the Sixers are at risk of losing this series mentally even before they’re tested physically. But Collins is a mature coach, communicates well with his guys and probably is relishing the challenge of stopping one or holding down both Miami creators. I’m looking forward to learning something from the Sixers’ coach.

Fran Blinebury: If we can’t have Miami vs. NY, then Boston vs NY will be almost as good. There’s the clash of all the stars and all the egos and all the excitement that could be caused by the Knicks winning one of the first two games in Boston. There is the question of whether Shaq will be able to play and, if so, whether he’ll be able to contribute. Even if he doesn’t play, Shaq will surely have a few things to say as it all unfolds. Can Rajon Rondo get back to this out-of-this world form from early in the season? Can Kevin Garnett just prod everybody in green forward again? This is the test to see if the Celtics really are as creaky and vulnerable as many think or if they’ve just been playing rope-a-dope with all of us again and are ready to start off another deep playoff run.

Scott Howard-Cooper: Tough to say because we don’t know a lot of the first-round matchups. The 4-5 in the West will obviously be worth a close watch since the Nuggets are one of the few so-called underdogs, as the team without homecourt advantage, that has a shot to advance. Also, Celtics-Knicks has suddenly become interesting, though only slightly. Boston’s late slump adds to the intrigue. It’s just not enough of a slump to make New York a serious threat for the upset.

Shaun Powell:Thunder-Nuggets is an obvious clash of contrasts, a team with no stars versus a team with two stars. We’ll see if George Karl’s prophesy rings true and whether a bunch of good players is enough to go far in the post-season. Also, there’s the very interesting subplot involving tough guy/big man Kendrick Perkins and whether he’s The Missing Piece for OK-C. Love to see him and K-Mart go at it, PG-13 style.

John Schuhmann: The contrarian in me tries to come up with a different answer, but I keep coming back to Celtics-Knicks. And it’s not about a Boston-New York rivalry that means nothing when the players step on the court. For me, the intrigue is in the All-Star matchups at the forward positions and the questions surrounding the two teams. Can the Celtics flip the switch again after struggling for the last month of the regular season? Can Shaq play? Is Rajon Rondo going to wake up? Can the Knicks win in the playoffs with their offense-first system? Is Chauncey Billups going to be the savvy veteran or the inefficient shooter? There are so many things to watch in this one.

Sekou Smith: It’s hard not to cast your eyes at that Celtics-Knicks matchup and think any other series will be able to match it for drama and “pure intrigue,” your words not mine. The Thunder-Nuggets should supply us with plenty of intense action, as will all of these first -round matchups will. But the idea of Boston’s recent struggles and the Knicks’ inspired play of late certainly adds to the excitement of a series between two of the league’s oldest and most storied franchises. Plus, we’ll get to see Spike Lee going at the Celtics and their fans for at least four games. It doesn’t get much better than that.

94 Comments

hey I agree with sean….we should be more OPTIMISTIC with the games…..well it’s playoff anything can happen..will it not be more interesting to see your teams, favorite teams play in 7 games?…so you’ll know what’s their weaknesses and strengths….any way this is NBA where amazing happens….

Even as a Knicks fan, I would’nt get hyped up about upsetting the Celtics in the first round. Yes, it’s a fabulous feeling for the Knicks to be back in the playoffs and it’s going to be a great series. However, that said, the Knicks just allow too many transition opportunities to opponents and teams like the Celtics and Heat will kill you for that.

Chicago being the #1 is no fluke. I don’t see any other team in the East beating them. It’s a toss-up between the Lakers and Thunder in the West. I’m sensing that Memphis may upset San Antonio in the first round.

CELTICS 2011 CHAMPIONS,
Stop making looser predictions
Don’t Anyone Dare to argue with me each and everyone of you is going for your teams and of course your gna root for your team by saying that opposing teams suck, good luck!, and remember This is the PLAYOFF TIME teams are gna completely change thier playing strategies you’ll be suprised when you watch, I dont even know whos gna win in each matchup, you dont either, Im going for CELTICS I’ve always been a Celtics fan.
This is my more realistic predictions ONLY FIRST ROUND too early too predict 2nd round and so on..
EAST
BULLS VS PACERS- BULLS IN 7 or PACERS IN 7 – Pacers is a young team thier gna run and gun on offense with everything they have

HEAT VS SIXERS- HEAT IN 6 or an UPSET By Sixers- Sixers are more of a Team than Heat, all Heat does is revolve around wade bosh lebron

CELTICS VS KNICKS- CELTICS IN 4,5,6- Knicks are good and fun to watch when the other teams defense sucks and they rain shots on them, But Celtic defense is Solid they’ll stop NY on Offense.

MAGIC VS HAWKS- MAGIC IN 6,7orHAWKS IN 6,7- Both Hawks&Magic want to win and they dont like each other…

MY PREDICTIONS:
BULLS OVER PACERS IN 4
HEAT OVER SIXERS IN 4
KNICKS OVER CELTICS IN 7
MAGIC OVER HAWKS IN 4
SPURS OVER GRIZZLIES IN 7
LAKERS OVER HORNETS IN 4
MAVERICKS OVER TRAILBLAZERS IN 7
THUNDER OVER NUGGETS IN 7
BULLS OVER MAGIC IN 7
HEAT OVER KNICKS IN 7
THUNDER OVER SPURS IN 7
LAKERS OVER MAVERICKS IN 7
HEAT OVER BULLS IN 7
LAKERS OVER THUNDER IN 7
HEAT OVER LAKERS IN 7

I think the Celtics will beat New York. Alot of people dont realize how much Boston has went through as a team. We gotta remember last season they had a worse season ender, was in 4th and came back in the playoffs. So i wouldnt write them off. All the teams have showed they can beat each other, But the Bulls have a problem with getting a good lead, and letting the opposing team come back. If they continue to do that, another team could win. And i wouldnt be shocked if they did. And as for the Heat, I mean it took them a 4th time to beat Boston, and anyone who watched the game knew Boston was not playing good. They were playing defeated. So i think Boston, will once again suprise people. Im not against Heat or Chicago. But i kno when Boston is playing AND REALLY playing, they will win. Just gotta see if they will show up. And lets not forget their bench held their own the last 2 games!! :)

i would love to see the heatles vs. knickerbockers on the first round. unfortunately the celtic will have the knicks.. i would say the celtics will go down from the knick in game 6.. yaeh game 6 baby….lol.. and my dream match up will unfold at the second round.. heat vs. knicks..how do you like that.. i think miami will represent the east and the west will have OKC..and miami will be the champs…then the knick will upgrade next year adding cp3…lol…

First I’ll commend Doug Collins for a job well done. I said Philly would make the playoffs when he was hired. His hire alone was the additional 14 wins. The man knows his stuff and has proven it where everywhere he’s coached. I did miss him in his old job as an analyst. Even there he was one of the best along with Mark Jackson and the very cerebral Hubie Brown. This year Philadelphia got a bad seed. They cannot beat the Heat, PERIOD. They may win one game but that will be all. This year LeBron will stuff the stats but Wade will be unstoppable. We will see FLASHES of brilliance.
The Chicago-Indiana game is not going to be a walk over as has been predicted by so many. Defense and pride will arise to make a series of it. Don’t get me wrong I’m not predicting an upset, merely stating a fact. Hibbert and Hansbrough must clog the middle to keep Rose out , try to control the defensive boards and not allow second shots. On the Offensive boards they have to rebound because they shoot so poorly. If they can do those things and Granger can get hot they can be a thorn in Chicago’s side.
NEW YORK WILL UPSET THE CELTICS IN 6 GAMES. Everyone is talking about Amare’ and ‘Melo but they are forgetting about Mr. BIGSHOT. He will neutralize Rondo and Garnett cannot defend Stoudamire w/out fouling (if they are called). Carmelo is unguardable but so is Ray Allen if he is hot from three point range. I’ll put my money on Carmelo posting up, NEW YORK IN 6.
The next upset will be the DENVER NUGGETS OVER OKC THUNDER. To some this may be a bigger upset than the Knicks over the C’s. Durant and Westbrook were expected to run roughshod over Denver. As much as I like Westbrook, mark my word, in the long run is going to be better than Durante, is not going to be able to get by Denver. Kendrick Perkins will be no match for Nene’ nor K-Mart. Durant and Westbrook stars? Yes. Miracle workers? No. Denver has too much overall firepower. Mark my word DENVER IN 6.
During the course of the playoffs Wade and LeBron will have a triple double.

I have Miami vs Chicago in the conference finals, with Miami going to the Finals against L.A. That would be a toss up between two great teams and would make for a finals for the ages with all of the star power and personalities, but I would be very okay with a Miami/San Antonio Finals as the Spurs are my second favorite team. These playoffs are going to be something else!!! :)

I think the Denver Nuggets vs the Oklahoma City Thunder is a great match up for the Thunder to make some noise in the west. I feel Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, and Russell Westbrook are going to give the Nuggets too many problems offensively and defensively. However, I have written sports blogs for the past few weeks. The site is http://tomchie.wordpress.com for more information on what I feel the top-10 NBA players are going to be this postseason.

The Boston-NYK match-up should be interesting. Just because it will be interesting to see how the Celtics will respond. Will they turn on the switch like last year? Critics should hold their tongue until we find out. And also because of the buzz and the nostalgic atmosphere a Boston-New York matchup is bound to invoke. But NYK doesn’t play defense, and I don’t think they’re a real threat to Boston in terms of pure basketball. I think OKC-Denver has potential, but I just can’t see the Thunder falling out the first round with home-court advantage, the confidence of pushing the Lakers last year, and with the new and improved attitude on defense that Perkins has instilled in the organization. I think the sleeper series is the Dallas-Portland series. Nate somehow gets his guys to a play at high level every year despite injuries, and for me, it will be intriguing to see if Dallas will finally pull out of its habit of underperforming in the playoffs. Will they finally get over the hump this year and make it to conference finals? Tyson Chandler is the one reason I think the tide of the playoff picture for the Mavericks may turn this year, but Portland is a tough customer. They won’t go down without a fight and I think they’re going to give Dallas all that they can handle.

also I think the denver/OKC series will be the one to watch, both teams have pros and cons, and something to prove, man Durant’s been flying under the radar this season, and is expected to lift greatly come postseason, but the nuggets, i don’t know what to say but they have gone from strength to strength, as far as the bigger picture goes, i don’t see these teams going too far, but still, this one can go either way..

however I do agree that the lakers getting a 3 peat is a long shot, especially with bynum’s knee hyperextension, I hope he recovers before or early in the playoffs, if he could nudge the lakers to a championship with a busted knee last, there’s no telling what he could do healthy, either way this year will be interesting, forget about predictions and just enjoy the playoffs, it’ll be a long while before we see a postseason as open ended as this guys…

some stuff has been goin on this season which makes it so hard to predict it, So was it the Boozer arrival that spiked up the Bulls that much this year,coz i dnt think anyone would think so, That would simply mean that the Bulls had it all this time in them just ddnt know how to let it out. Its still a puzzle that they went on having the best record in the league this season a team which was a seventh seed last season. So for that alone, i think its fair enough if Rose wins his MVP. Then again there is the teaming up of the three folks in the south beach, with one and only one intention, greedy, anger and flare for the title, the Heat are the really contenders this season, Just remember LeBron’s reaction last season when the caVs dropped, the Dude didnt even want to shake hands, so you can imagine how much with all that he got he can try to avoid that, so I think this is where the Heat’s big 3 dream begins, so if anyone should be scared this season that should be the Lakers, cause they are just a bunch of kids when it comes to solving the Heat,the only team that can solve the heat are the C’s when they are playing their best basketball.So lets not worry so much about this first round matchup thing,,,coz much of tallies are predictable, Magic aint even as scary as they used to be. The Bulls are going to be impressive in the first round but am totally sure, that they wont make it to the finals..The west is not that shuffled up, much of it the same, only that this time Nash and Co are out, too sad, The Lakers might make it to the finals, but 3peat, is never gonna happen. Imagine Lakers v/s Heat in Finals….its gonna be so embarrasing.

uuh I don’t know if you have been watching the regular season, and I know it may not seem like much, but the heat have struggled to get 1 win against the bulls or celtics, and that was with an injury ridden C’s squad. I really don’t think the heat will get as far as the second round, the lack of proper cohesion, a decent bench and the fact that lebron loads up on stats will ultimately let them down. let’s face it, he had a pretty decent team the last time around and stilll couldn’t get the job done…

I agree with Celtics v/s Knicks, thats gonna one helluva game, but again everybody knows that Celtics gonna win,experience and all that, by the way the greens have been better this season they were a fourth seed last season, playing the second and final round with no home court, and it wasnt even such a surprise that they made it all the way up to the finals, this year that will require Pearce and Rondo to step up their game ASAP . But I also would like to vouch for the Thunders this year, I think they are going to surprise everybody, probably even make it to the western final. Just think about it this way, do you really think that the spurs (a bunch of over 30 fellas) can beat the OKC in the second match up.

Why are some people saying whether Orlando “manages” to get through Atlanta? Don’t get me wrong some teams don’t show up but every year Atlanta get blown out by outrages numbers in the playoffs, last Orlando could’ve beat them with Howard only playing 20 minutes a game it was so bad.
I can see portland getting to the Finals if they can upset Dallas. They have had the best of the Spurs the last few matchups and the way Nate coaches. Now my opinion may be bias since I am a blazer but the Spurs get beat by fastbreaks and a quick tempo as Portland displayed against L.A on about a week ago.

There’s no way Miami will beat the Bulls or the Celtics in a 7-game series. They have no depth and the trio for Miami will have to play flawlessly and consistently through-out the duration of the playoffs. Even if two of them are playing phenomenally, it doesn’t guarentee a win. Because of their defense, they have a chance, but offensively, there aren’t a lot of options and they still stuggle in the half-court. They shine the brightest in transition and the pace slows considerably during the playoffs.

I’m more interested in the Orlando-Atlanta series because somehow Atlanta manages to play against the Magic, and Howard’s future with the franchise is at stake unless their team win the title this year. And if they do manage to get through the Hawks, they still have to contend against the Bulls in the second round, whom they are having a hard time as well.

I would be very surprised if Atlanta won more than two games in this series. And if Orlando advances to play the Bulls, I think Dwight Howard could cause a lot of problems for the Bulls and they have a chance to upset the Bulls-train that everyone seems to be jumping on. Don’t get me wrong, they’re a great team, but experience does factor into the playoffs, and even though they have a well-balanced team, I still think they rely to heavily on Derrick Rose. And he’s not the most efficient player either, even though he can be dominate. He had a great year, and deserves the MVP. But don’t let that fool you. The main reason for Chicago’s success is their much improved defense, which I give all the credit to Tom Thibadeau. That being said, Boston is very hungry for another championship, and I don’t think the Bulls are going to stand in their way.

Yo.. i can’t believe people think the Bulls will be in the finals.. are you basing that on their superior defense and rebounding ?.. Its been proven that a one man team can’t carry a team to win in the playoffs… take for instance last year.. Cavs had the number 1 seed in the East and overall. Obviously.. the Cetlics beat them in 6 games.. because they were able to shut down all the other players on the Cavs.. and Mo williams being the 2nd option lol.. what a joke. Now.. talking in the present.. the Bulls honestly are a one man team.. who’s going to step up offensively when D-rose is taken out of his game ? Carlos Boozer ?.. seriously hes always a reliability.. considering most of the time he doesn’t even show up to play.. I think.. when the bulls play orlando in 2nd round its going to be a tough series.. considering the fact that Orlando is still dangerous as long as Dwight’s on floor. No one can guard dwight one on one on the Bulls.. so Orlando going to have a lot of open 3 point shots. Also.. the 2nd round of the East between Miami and Cetlics should be intriging if.. the Cetlics do win of course..

Uhm considering noah is an excellent rebounder derick rose is a great scorer deng is also a good scorer and carlos boozer has an average ability of all those skills the bulls are hardly a one man team. Just because derick rose is the only one making headlines doesnt mean he has no team. And if he is the one carying he team why didnt they do this good last year? oh yeah because he recieved more help from trades………and DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

I think OKC will beat Denver. The Knicks don’t play enough defense to beat the Celtics in a 7-game series. The Dallas vs. Portland series could be very interesting. Portland is a tough team. I think people underestimate the 76ers, but I don’t think they have it in them to beat the Heat. But I don’t think the Heat has enough depth to beat Boston. The Bulls and Boston have to be the favorites in the East, but Boston is more experience and have championship experience. The Bulls depend too much on Rose. If Rondo plays phenomenal like last year, Boston shouldn’t have any problems getting out of the Eastern Conference. Lakers and Spurs shouldn’t have any problems in their 1st round. People shouldn’t count out veteran teams. It’s almost deja vu. Last year, the Lakers and Celtics were struggling at this point in the season, and look what happened.

There have been years the number 8 seed take out the number 1 seed and go all the way to the finals or deep into the playoffs, counting out any team in the playoffs would be stupid, all a team needs to do is bring it and it’s on! Now as a Celtics fan there is concern to be worried but when you think of it Boston is built for the playoffs, regular season games are irrelevant once playoffs start, do you get a trophy for winning the regular season??? nope! Celtics will flip the switch, Lakers will too and so will spurs they’re proven to do so…Bulls, Heat, Dallas Etc ???? yup question Marks

If you want people to read your posts, please use complete sentences with the appropriate punctuation in your comments. I also suggest that you use spell check. They teach these things in 2nd and 3rd grade. Nobody will take your opinions seriously if you cannot communicate them properly. Thanks.

I can’t wait for the upcoming Grizzlies and Spurs match-up. I think Memphis will give the Spurs a run for their money.
The Spurs however has the advantage mainly because they are more experienced plus they have homecourt advantage, but don’t count the Griz out, I think they have a good chance of winning the series judging on the 2-2 regular season series games.

Intriguing Portland-Dallas, OKC-Nuggets on WEST while Heat-Sixers, Celts-Knicks on EAST…potential upsets…
But still in the end..KOBE and Fish will have their 6th while PJ will wear his 12th (as coach)…yeah…! 3-peat again!

IF his knee hurts now, It will hurt in playoff mode as well. So I hopt LA losses today, So It can be LA vs Blazers. I would love for My team to be THE FIRST TEAM in PHILS what ever Coaching life to be NOKED OUT in the FIRST ROUND. I would put that under my belt.

I think OKC vs Denver will be the most exciting Its a bunch of good players put together vs a young bunch of good players it will be a tough match up no doubt. The Knicks vs Celtics will be the second most exiting game I really hope the knicks show up the celtics but in all reality i say it gonna be heat vs bulls or the magic in the conference finals. I cant really say anything about a lot of the games out west because the only team locked into their seed is the 1st, 5th, and 6th seed the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 7th, and 8th seeds have not been determined and wont be determined until tonights final games.

what is wrong wit u? u keep mentioning the fact tat the bulls almost lost to the magic witout dwight howard and yes they almost did and im saying so wat? the bulls already locked in their first place and had very little motivation to do their best. Also u cant say that if dwight howard was there, they would have won, cuz the whole defense and offense changes for both teams. the bulls are playing the best basketball in the league, just at the records, the statistics, and you are saying they just got lucky? Yes it maybe a one man team at times but atleast he carried the team to this point which is a milestone. i didnt see dwight howard doing that or Kobe for tat matter. When gasol or bynum dont play the lakers lose. When Noah or Boozer dont play, the bulls are still good. The bulls have little chance of going to the finals due to the lack of experience they have. but stop saying they got lucky for al 82 games!

It’s just funny how everyone is saying C’s will lose..Did y’all forget they made the finals 2 of the last 3 years..That they had the best record in the east up until march 9th. Thats the day when they found out that they were the first team to qualify for playoffs..Thats when they started playing scratchy..C’s and LAL are the only team that know how to pick up their game in crunch time when everything is on the line..Don’t forget C’s beat both Heat & Cavs last year..DWade & LB were on those rosters..Bulls are not going to beat C’s in a playoff in crucnch time..Experience trumps age..C’s have been there done that, Bulls roster havent..

Celtics will be on the finals!! I can’t wait to see the bulls and heat say goodbye. By the way, keep under rating the Celtics because that’s what will give them the strength and motivation to show that they are the real kings of East conference.

Celtics will be on the finals!! I can’t wait to see the bulls and heat say goodbye. By the way, keep under rating the Celtics because that’s what will give them the strength and motivation to show that they are the real kings of East conference.

Nobody has mentioned the potential match up between Dallas and Portland! How can you not be intrigued by this? It has upset written all over it. Dallas has not beaten Portland since the Trailblazers acquired Gerald Wallace.

Why not anyone talk about the Magic?? Didn’t they make it to the Eastern Finals two years in a row and all the way to the NBA finals just two years ago? They are definitely not one of the the top rated teams in the regular season but in the last few years they have ALWAYS been underrated yet very dangerous in the playoffs. Look for the hugest “upset” in the second round when they’ll knock the Bulls out!

You know heat vs magic would be a great conference finals i think that the magic could beat the bulls i mean they are going to beat the hawks like they did last year and i dont know they did almost beat the bulls without dwight howard too many people look at the season record the magic has a lot of depth if they bring it all together they could make it. They just sometime seem to inconsistent.

I agree that Orlando has a good chance to beat the Bulls because of Howard holding down the paint and absolutely abusing Chicago’s undersized front line. The only thing stopping them from being the favorites in that series is that you don’t know if everyone else on the Magic team will show up.

watch the Sixers win against Miami. Everyone is sleeping on Philly. They got a good team, and finally in 4 years they are all on the same page. they have the best chance in my opinion to knock off a top seeded team in the first round. I love the NY vs Boston match up too, but lets get real. Boston is gonna win. They dont give a damn about regular season games. when it comes to the playoffs, watch them go all the way to the Finals.

uhm are you crazy d wade will not let a team like the 76ers get by them you forget that d wade can light any one up in the playoffs now he is help this year he will be unstoppable. If you think the celtics win against heat in the second round your sadly mistaken.

heat are a good team but every game i watched the lost because james bosh or wade couldn’t hit them buzzer beats but i do wanna see them win so we can have that celtics heat series. but that series will go to game seven with the celt’s emerging

For old timers like me, the Knicks vs. Celtics gets the blood flowing and the heart rate pumping up 2 notches more than it normally does. Of course, the way the playoff are matched up, there is every reason to expect epic battles from one game to the next in both the east and west. However, it all comes back to Melo against Pierce, Chauncy against Rhondo or Allen, depending on the strategy used by M;D. Then again, AS versus KG will also be great. And, whether or not Shaq is available, the C’s still have to stop the K’s 3 point shooters and the Knicks theirs. All of the right teams have gotten into these playoffs making it a feast for basketball fanatics.
My pick: The longer the series goes, the better chance the Knicks have of winning, even against the great Celtics lineup. If not, the C’s have to reload to ensure not falling beneath the Knicks for years to come beginning next season.

I highly agree with you i think that too many people doubt the knicks having a chance but i still think its going to be a 7 game series all the great matchups plus spike lee will do something interesting to spark the knicks its very interesting i think in the second round heat vs knicks or heat vs celtics will be good either way.

I really think the Grizzlies can give the Spurs a tough series and i’m sure that Portland can beat Dallas. But the most exciting one is Heat vs Sixers because the Heat turn it over a lot and Sixers can really make’em pay but Miami will win the series no doubt.

ok are you crazy your voting for the underdogs its understandable but the pacers and the 76ers are both going to be beaten in the 1st round i would love it if the pacers knocked out the bulls but its very doubtable.

the best matchups are definently boston vs knicks and okc vs denver. and its great the pacers have finally gotten back to the playoffs and i guess same with the knicks. but i have miami going all the way but only because of wade.

ok rose cant knock the heat out your mistaken again lady its going to be a tough game i think the heat are going to win if you go back to the 05-06 season the heat didnt do the best against the top teams like the cavs or the pistons but they ended up winning it all that year the regular season dont mean squat its all about the playoffs.

You’re joking right.?.. i dont even have 2 state facts for this argument… dont get me wrong the pacers are a good team and can give anyone trouble in the regular season but in no way are they a playoff threat to any of the top teams in the east

hey I dont know i think the bulls might underestimate the pacers it could happen i dont think it will be 7 games but it could 5 or 6 i think the heat will be the only team do sweep their opponent in the 1st round.

hey at least the guy is being optimisitic unlike all the other bonehead fans on here
it could go to 7 you never know
the predictions they set were frickin stupid every seriies is going to 5 games basically?
i dont expect the hornets to beat the lakers but they could win a game they got chris paul matching up on steve blake or derek fisher but yet they say lakers will win in 4
watch like 6/8 of these series will go to 6-7 games and the NBA writers will feel like idiots
at least give SOME sort of optimism when choosing who wins
not just who has a better record
its not like PREDICTING that one team MIGHT be the other is gunna set off heads everywhere
MAKE IT INTERESTING

there is NO WAY that Thibodeau will let the bulls look past ANY TEAM… he didnt even let them talk about facing the pacers in the playoffs before they played the nets even though they had already locked up the #1 seed… so the Bulls looking past ppl isnt going 2 happen they will focus on whoever they play and it has shown through the whole season that that’s truly their mindset because they played over 50 GAMES without one or two or their best 3 players injured… im no dumb fan just someone that saw the potential of a well built team that happend 2 represent his home town… like i said the Pacers are a good team and i wanted 2 see this match up because of the history in it from the Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller days but the thing that will allow the Pacers to push this past 5 games is if the Bulls dont take them seriously but that will NEVER happen…

I would say, OKC-Denver in the West and NY-Boston in the East.. I cant wait this game especially the NY-Boston in which I see the first round exit of Boston, Even a lot of people saw that Boston is the team to beat in the East, I would say its the Bulls and Heat coz both of them blow out the Celtics to the ground.. I love also if ever the Lakers face Portland, this could be epic and mostly Portland could upset L.A and end their 3peat dreams..

OK BOSTON WILL KNOCK THE KNICKS OUT AND MIAMI BEAT THEM ONE TIME THREW THE WHOLE SEASONS AND OKC WILL BUMP DENVER AND NO WILL TAKE THE LAKERS DOWN I BELEIVE AND THE BULLS WILL PROBLY BE THE CHAMPS NOT MIAMI CAUSE LEBRONE IS WEAK AND BOSTON SPLIT THER SERUIOUS WITH THE BULLS OK SO WILL SEE CAUSE I BELEIVE THE CELTICS ARE GONNA BLOW THREW THE PLAYOFFS LIKE LAST YEAR

Ok listen the heat were building up chemistry so dont go out and think that the heat are not going anywhere the celtics are going to get either beaten or almost beaten in the first round because they are not as tough as they used to be the heat are going to blow out phillie and denver vs thunder that is going to be a tough matchup and how can you say that okc is gonna win no hands down and the bulls they just got lucky we have all seen that one man teams have not gone that far i mean derrick rose has help but they almost lost to the magic without dwight howard that shows a weak spot if you ask me your going to see that it will be heat and bulls in the east i have 100 percent faith in this prediction.

Ok If the newyork knicks upset the boston celtics keyword IF……then we will see chicago bulls and newyork knicks in the eastern conference finals. I do believe the knicks are able to do it. but if he knicks lose then heat are going to NBA finals where they will hopefuly face the lakers lol

Agree, I believe also that New York has the ability to upset Boston, the way Celtics play right now they are very beatable in any match up with the Knicks, Boston badly need someone Big in the middle to match-up Amare inside.